US–Iran negotiations in Switzerland took a confrontational turn immediately as the conflict in Lebanon and the maritime security of the Strait of Hormuz emerged as critical flashpoints.
While the two sides sought to launch a 60-day negotiating track toward a new nuclear agreement, Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon, Iran’s closure of the strategic waterway, and threats of military action from US President Donald Trump pushed the talks to the brink of collapse before they had formally begun. Despite the friction, some participants reported the negotiations were making notable progress.
The talks, held as part of the Lucerne Summit in Switzerland, began Sunday and continued into the early hours of Monday. Negotiators hoped to open a 60-day process covering Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions relief, and mechanisms to implement economic and security commitments.
The US delegation was led by Vice President JD Vance, with White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner participating, despite Iran’s announcement on Saturday that it would close the Strait of Hormuz in response to what Tehran described as Israeli violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon.
According to Axios, citing an unnamed US diplomat, one of the issues discussed was “deconfliction mechanisms in Lebanon and enforcing the ceasefire,” amid ongoing clashes between Hezbollah and Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.
The source added that the talks covered “all elements of the nuclear deal,” as well as the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s recent statements about potentially closing it.
“We made clear we want to ensure it remains fully open. We made good progress on that front,” the US diplomat said.
The two sides also discussed implementation the memorandum of understanding and methods to ensure compliance by all parties, as well as a framework for continued negotiations between political leaders and technical teams.
The diplomat noted representatives from the US, Iran, Pakistan, and Qatar appeared satisfied with the course of the talks.
“The mediators are helping both sides work through things. We feel this initial round of talks is setting us up for trust building going forward,” the source said.
High-level political talks are expected to conclude Monday evening, while technical teams are likely to remain in Switzerland to continue negotiations.
A tense start
US–Iran talks opened in a tense atmosphere at the Swiss resort of Bürgenstock, marking the first preparatory round since the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding last Wednesday.
Lebanon quickly rose to the top of the agenda after Israeli airstrikes on Friday killed more than 80 people in Lebanon, while the Israeli military said four of its soldiers were killed.
Iran’s response, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, threatened to complicate the process from day one. Tehran has maintained that negotiations remain contingent on ending military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon.
Trump responded to the closure in a post on Truth Social on Sunday, escalating his rhetoric by demanding that Iran immediately stop what he described as its “highly paid proxies” in Lebanon. “If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!” he warned.
According to The Guardian, Trump went further in an interview with Fox News, threatening to take control of the Strait of Hormuz. “You close it and you won’t have a country,” he said, also warning Iranian negotiators that “You won’t even make it back to your fucking country.”
The Guardian reported that Trump’s remarks prompted the Iranian delegation to walk out of the high-stakes discussions in protest. His comments stood in contrast with Vance’s more conciliatory tone.
The vice president said progress had been made in the first round of direct talks and that Trump had instructed him to use the negotiations to “turn over a new leaf ”with Iran.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported that the Iranian delegation left the venue following Trump’s threats. IRNA describes the US president’s remarks as “baseless,” arguing that Washington had yet to fulfill the first provision of the Islamabad memorandum, which calls for a ceasefire on all fronts.
Chief Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf dismissed Trump’s threats, IRNA reports. “Don’t they think that if their threats had any effect, they would not have been this desperate today? We do not count US threats for anything.”
He added that Iran’s armed forces were ready to respond “in a different way” and said the success of the talks depended on “Washington’s political will and practical commitment to its obligations.”
“Encouraging progress”
Despite mounting tensions, negotiations continued into the early hours of Monday. In a joint statement, Qatar and Pakistan said the first round was conducted in a “positive and constructive” atmosphere and achieved “encouraging progress,” including the creation of a mechanism for further technical talks.
The statement noted that parties agreed to establish a high-level committee to provide political oversight of mediation efforts. The chief negotiators will submit regular reports to the committee while also leading specialized working groups on the nuclear file, sanctions, and monitoring and dispute resolution.
The committee also approved a roadmap aimed at reaching a final agreement within 60 days, while launching further technical talks immediately. A communication channel was created to avoid incidents and misunderstandings with the aim of safe passage for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
The statement further announced “the creation of a de-confliction cell” bringing together the US, Iran, and Lebanon with mediator support to ensure compliance with the ceasefire in Lebanon. Technical talks are expected to continue throughout the week in Switzerland.
Lebanon is the first test
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X early Monday that the talks had produced agreements to exempt Iranian oil and petrochemical exports from restrictions, lift the blockade, release part of Iran’s frozen assets, and launch a major reconstruction and development plan for Iran.
A Guardian report on Monday described Lebanon as the greatest threat to the US-Iran understanding. It said the US Treasury Department was preparing a 60-day waiver lifting sanctions on Iranian oil, petrochemicals, and derivatives. It also reported that Qatar and Iran had signed a separate memorandum concerning the release of frozen Iranian assets held in Qatari banks.
According to the report, progress on the nuclear issue now appears more attainable after many of Iran’s preconditions were met. However, Araghchi described “the elimination of the conflict in Lebanon as the first real test” of the agreement.
Israeli obstinance
Israel, meanwhile, maintained its refusal to withdraw from southern Lebanon.
Reuters reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israeli forces would continue occupying the “security zone” along the border “as long as necessary.”
Speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said Israel had created the zone and would maintain it as long as needed to protect its citizens.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces retained full freedom of action to eliminate threats in Lebanon and would remain stationed at designated positions within the security zone.
The comments came a day after Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed at least 20 people. Tel Aviv said the attacks were a response to projectiles fired by Hezbollah at Israeli forces in the south, while an Israeli official said the targets were Hezbollah positions.
Reuters also quoted a Hezbollah official as saying the group remains committed to the ceasefire as long as Israel abides by it, adding that Israeli forces “do not have freedom of movement” in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said Israel “will not remain in Lebanon” and warned that the group would respond to any Israeli violation.
Reuters cited unnamed security sources saying Hezbollah had not fired at Israeli forces since Saturday evening, while Israel had not carried out major attacks on Lebanon during the same period, marking what the news agency described as the “longest spell without major strikes” since the war began.
